Combination holder and closure for containers



June 14, 1955 R. CARR Filed March 27, 1952 8 F A 5% 8 x g j Fig. 5.

Fig. 3.

Roman R; Carr United States Patent 'COMBINATI'ON This invention relates to new and useful improvements in holding devices and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a combination holder and closure for ampules, bottles and the like.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a container holding and closing means involving a pair of co-acting shelf members each of which is provided with a resilient portion to yieldingly receive the container therebetween and to permit closing of the open end of the container by the resilient portion of the uppermost of the pair of shelf members.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combined holder and closure means for ampules, bottles and the like, consisting of a shelf member having a rigid core, a foam or sponge rubber strip secured to the core and covered by a plastic sheet that will effectively seal and close the open end of a container, in order to retain the container in a sanitary condition.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a combined holder and closure for containers, such as ampules and bottles, that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efiicient and durable in operation, small and compact in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operations as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the present invention in use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the vertical portions of the frame that will support a shaft member;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of Figure 2 to show the construction of the shelf member; and,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the invention in modified form.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral represents a shelf member generally, including a rigid core 12 having flat upper and lower faces or surfaces 14 and 16, and forward and rear edges 18 and 20.

The lower face 22 of an upper foam rubber strip 24 is adhesively secured to the upper face 14 of the rigid core 12 by a suitable cement and the upper face 26 of a lower foam or sponge rubber strip 28 is adhesively secured to the lower face 16 of the rigid core 12 also by a suitable cement. The strips 24 and 28 are equal in width to the width of the core 12 and include forward. edges 30 and 32 that are flush with edge 18 of core 12 r and rear edges 34 and 36 that are flush with the rear edge of the core 12.

2 sheave face at anadhesive tap as isapplied to vely flush edges 30, 32 and 18 to further bondiid the exposes earner; of the'strips 245M 28. The g Iongitu'tlinaledge's 42 and '44 at the sheet are secured together and to the rear edge of the core 12 by longitudinally spaced staples or fasteners 46.

A support or cabinet is provided for a group of the shelves 10 and this support comprises an open substantially rectangular frame 48 having a pair of spaced parallel vertical portions 50 whose rear edges 52 are provided with vertically spaced horizontal recesses 54 for accommodating the ends of the shelf members 10.

The ends of the shelf members 10 will be yieldingly retained in the recesses 54, due to the resilient characteristics of the strips 24 and 28, however, a backing panel 56 is secured to the rear edges of the frame 48 and more particularly the edges 52 of portions 50, to hold the shelf members in their recesses.

In practical use of the present invention, containers such as ampules A and bottles B are positioned between adjacent shelf members with the bottoms of the ampules and bottles engaging the lower of the pair of adjacent shelf members and with the open tops of the ampules and bottles engaging the upper of the pair of adjacent shelf members. The shelf members will be depressed slightly, as shown in Figure 2, to yieldingly and resiliently hold the ampules and bottles, further, the open tops of the ampules and bottles will be tightly sealed by the action of the rubber strips and sanitarily sealed by the plastic sheet.

Sheet 40 functions as a covering for the core 12 and strips 24 and 28; a confiner for the core 12 and strips 24, 28; a sanitary seal for the open ends of the ampules and bottles; and also as a wearing surface for the shelf members. The core 12 may obviously be of suitable material such as wood or metal but since the simplest fastening means for the sheet 40 comprises staples, the core must be of a material that may be penetrated by the staples.

The co-acting pair of adjacent shelf members are capable of supporting various types of containers, such as paint cans, and the plastic sheet 40, being very inert to chemical action, would not permit adherence of any paint or chemical in the bottles. Other plastic sheets, resistant to chemical action may be substituted for sheet 40 or the outer faces of the strips 24 and 28 covered with a chemical resistant but sanitary film.

Figure 5 shows the rigid core 12a embraced by a soft rubber strip or channel 24a. The rear edge of core 12a is secured to the backing 56a by fasteners 57 and a transparent plastic sheet 40a is adhesively secured to the forward face of panel 56a and covers the channel 24 and is secured to the panel or backing 56a below the core and over labels L to protect the labels which are employed for indicating the contents of containers disposed between two shelves.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as Paris "fed i4, 193s 3 herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A combined holder and closure for containers, such as ampules, bottles and the like, said combined holder and closure comprising an open substantially rectangular frame including a pair of spaced parallel vertical portions having vertically spaced horizontal recesses, and a plurality of shelf members having their ends removably positioned in said recesses and supported by the vertical portions, each of said shelf members including a rigid core having upper and lower faces, upper and lower foam rubber strips secured to the upper and lower faces of said core, and a plastic sheet embracing the strips and the core, the ends of said shelf members being yieldingly retained in said recesses by the rubber strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 39,952 Perot Sept. 15, 1863 709,819 Hicks Sept. 23, 1902 1,340,660 Lindberg May 18, 1920 1,836,572 Briney Dec. 15, 1931 2,388,169 McAlevy Oct. 30, 1945 2,534,660 Collis Dec. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,651 Australia Dec. 18, 1931 

